FollowHere are September’s Non-Words, with thanks to Mary Williams, Heidi Dalgarno, Robert Arellano, the late Wilkins-O’Reilly Zinn, and William della Santina. There are a couple of bonus words in the definitions too, like spoonerize and illiteral. (Illiterally should mean not literal, except of course when literally is used as a contranym.) I had a tough time choosing between hopelessless and hopelessnessless, which should mean different things. I learned a few new real words, like studentry, an old word for student body which deserves revival, finick (to be affectedly refined), and advertence (heedfulness) as well as some neologisms coined by others, like hoi olligoi (on the polloi pattern).
The words:
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gleeflect, v. to gleefully deflect other points of view with sarcasm, irony and snark to play to one’s audience. 1 Sep
beloathed, adj. families or groups joined, Hatfield/McCoy-like, in multi-generational hatred. 2 Sep
xeratask, v., to sit in the dry, warm, end-of-summer sunshine, doing nothing. 3 Sep
etymologue: one who confuses etymological faithfulness with precise usage. 4 Sep
impristine, adj. having a minute bit of dirt, error, or some other natural flaw that is noticeable but barely so. 5 Sep
werror, n. (pronounced wee-rer) a metaphorical mirror in which we see our collective, illiteral reflection. 6 Sep
twithear and overread, v. to overhear on Twitter (twithear) or on Facebook (overread, thanks to Mary Williams). 7 Sep
thunklessness, n. the combination of malice and weakness that makes one a bully. 8 Sep
gogamagog, n. any large but unidentifiable outdoor sculpture; may also refer to buildings. 9 Sep
homescape, n. the landscape of a home and what the arrangement and display of things reveals (thx to Heidi Dalgarno). 10 Sep
factuum, n. (pr. “fact-yoom”) a fact-free zone in politics characterized by misrepresentation, not facts. 11 Sep
psoeuvre, n. (pronounced “psoover”) the pseudonymous works of a writer. 12 Sep
detreat, v. to recover one’s equilibrium and catch up on work after a week of strategic planning retreats. 13 Sep
gwid, n. (pronounced “gweed”) someone who is malleable but also quick to understand what is going on. 14 Sep
anticdote, n. a story of personal hijinks told as an ice-breaker in a public speaking situation (tks Robert Arellano). 15 Sep
humbiliate, v. to humiliate oneself by being excessively humble. 16 Sep
debitnaire, adj. an image of class or breeding established on borrowed money. 17 Sep
falquism, n. to overly value autonomy versus interdependence; to work in silos (from the Latin “fala,” a siege tower). 18 Sep
nilieu [pr. nil-you] an environment or setting in which nothing much is happening. 19 Sep
herdonism, to be pleasure-seeking in a totally conformist fashion; to follow the hedonistic herd. 20 Sep
convocative, adj. oratory which simultaneously reassures, exhorts and provokes. 21 Sep
blandemonium, n. irrational enthusiasm for something exceedingly ordinary—food, entertainment, books, etc. 22 Sep
collectory, n. autoethnographic research by purposefully repurposing found objects (from Wilkins-O’Reilly Zinn). 23 Sep
triple-dog, adj. anything daring or edgy but apt to pull in many directions (idea from William della Santina). 24 Sep
liviousness, sensitivity to the feelings, needs and desires of others (backformed from obliviousness). 25 Sep
hopelessless, adj. not exactly hopeful, but lacking hopelessness; having an average amount of hope. 26 Sep
perfexhibitionist, n. one who flaunts his or her perfectionism as an excuse to procrastinate. 27 Sep
assessin, n. one who removes the joy from something by measuring it. 28 Sep
indubiate, v. to cause to doubt (when used as a noun, a group whose legitimacy is called into doubt). 29 Sep
tumbletongued, adj. prone to misspeak, malaprop, or spoonerize. 30 Sep
